With everything on your plate that is involved in running your spa or massage practice, are you able to put enough time into marketing your business? The answer may be no. Keeping your website current and trying to maintain a presence on social media – key marketing activities today – is time consuming. Unless you have marketing staff or you outsource marketing to a consultant, marketing may fall by the wayside or result in a series of half measures.
Common marketing mistakes
To help get your marketing on track or amp it up, here are 12 common marketing mistakes small business owners make when promoting their services and products. Avoiding these marketing mistakes and getting your program on track – even if you focus on just a few activities but executive flawlessly – can help attract new clients and grow your business.
No marketing plan: You need a solid marketing plan to avoid wasting resources and failing to achieve stated goals. A marketing plan identifies your target customers, sets goals and determines which marketing channels will be most effective.
Lack of website: You must have a website so prospects can find you. In today’s marketplace, 97% of consumers search online for products and services, and more than half of the searches are local.[1]So, the bottom line is you must have a website, and it must clearly explain who you are, your expertise and credentials, why you are different from other providers, what services you offer. Your site also should employ Search Engine Optimization (SEO) so that search engines will find, index, and understand its content to make it among the best results when someone conducts a search. And finally, it helps if you incorporate appointment scheduling software into your website, so clients can conveniently book appointments or change them if necessary.
Overlook mobile optimization: Smartphones are used for everything now—from shopping to engaging on social media. If your website isn’t optimized for mobile use, it can seriously affect the user experience and conversion rates.
Do not understand your customer: While massage may be appealing to a broad customer base, not everyone is your target client. You need to identify exactly who needs your services and products. Define your target client by age, location, need, how often they get a massage and what they look for in a massage therapist. Then tailor your content to speak directly to their problems and needs.
Ignore the competition: You may know about other spa or massage practitioners in your area, but do you truly understand their offerings and how your services and products compare to them? A significant marketing mistake is not analyzing and following your competitors, which can easily be done online. Track what is being said online about the competition in social media and in reviews as well as from conversations with clients. Understanding the competition helps cement your differentiation and value proposition to create the messaging for your marketing campaigns.
Conduct campaigns as isolated projects: As you develop your campaign, look at each piece of social media, online or print ads, community activities as one piece of the large pie. Your messaging needs to be consistent across all your campaigns. The goal of each marketing project is to tell your story not just gain attention.
Try to do too much: A big marketing mistake is spreading your efforts – and yourself – too thin so that your effort for every marketing project is minimal. Focus on a few key activities and execute thoroughly and flawlessly.
Fail to listen to clients and prospects: You build trust and engagement when you have a dialogue with clients. Find out what matters to them. Ask them about your offerings as well as your customer service. Encourage them to make suggestions about ways your spa or massage practice could serve them more conveniently.
To gain client feedback, you also can conduct regular customer surveys or during an appointment, ask for their input. Track and respond to customer reviews and comments on your online platforms. Utilize customer relationship management (CRM) tools to manage customer data and interactions effectively.
Fail to engage on social media: Among social media marketing mistakes, failure to engage is at the top. Social media is designed to have conversations with clients and prospects. It should not be a one-way channel to advertise your products and services. Social media through client input – comments, like and dislikes - offers real-time insight into what clients want and how they view your offering. When used effectively, social media marketing can provide you with the knowledge you need to address client issues, educate clients and fulfill their needs through your service offering.
Being inauthentic: Failure to be authentic is another one of the big social media marketing mistakes. Social media marketing campaigns must match your core messaging. Consider the backlash faced by major companies trying to co-opt social justice movements without real action. Social media audiences recognize and reject hollow marketing efforts. Avoid controversial topics if your business cannot add meaningful value.
Have goals for content marketing: Good quality content on your social channels is indispensable. Value-driven content is essential for engaging with customers. Avoid content marketing mistakes by ensuring that the articles you write, blog posts, case studies and any other content you feature on your social channels are of value to your clients and that they like and share it. A product description may be of interest; but an article or post about massage trends will help clients decide what is best for solving their unique problems. Avoid content marketing mistakes by making sure you provide quality information and/or tell clients a good story that will resonate with them.
Not using data: You may think you know your target client, but you cannot rely on guesswork. Data provides valuable insights into your ideal client and provides the information to conduct an effective marketing program. This is why you want to monitor your website traffic, social media engagement and email open rates. Tools like Google Analytics help you understand your clients across devices and platforms to gauge the effectiveness of your marketing and adjust where necessary.
Marketing is not a dart game. You cannot just send out messages and promotional materials and hope you reach your target. By fixing some of these common mistakes, your marketing will be on target and you will increase your revenue.
[1] Rampton, John, “The 10 Most Common Small Business Marketing Mistakes,” Forbes, September 24, 2015. https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnrampton/2015/09/24/the-10-most-common-small-business-marketing-mistakes/